serious
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English seryows, from Old French serieux, from Medieval Latin sēriōsus, an extension of Latin sērius (“grave, earnest, serious”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with German schwer (“heavy, difficult, severe”), Old English swǣr (“heavy, grave, grievous”). More at swear, sweer.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsɪə.ɹi.əs/, /ˈsɪː.ɹi.əs/
Audio (UK): (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /ˈsɪɚ.i.əs/, /ˈsɪɹ.i.əs/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪəɹiəs
- Homophones: cereous, Sirius (one pronunciation)
Adjective
[edit]serious (comparative more serious, superlative most serious)
- Without humor or expression of happiness; grave in manner or disposition
- Important; weighty; not insignificant
- This is a serious problem. We'll need our best experts.
- Really intending what is said (or planned, etc); in earnest; not jocular or deceiving
- After all these years, we're finally getting serious attention.
- He says he wants to buy the team, but is he serious?
- (of a relationship) Committed.
Synonyms
[edit]- See also Thesaurus:serious
Antonyms
[edit]- (antonym(s) of “important, weighty”): trifling, unimportant
- (antonym(s) of “intending what is said”): jesting
Derived terms
[edit]- srs (abbreviation)
- dead serious
- ha ha only serious
- joco-serious
- non-serious
- self-serious
- seriously
- seriousness
- serious-minded
- serious-mindedly
- serious-mindedness
Translations
[edit]without humor or expression of happiness
|
important; weighty; not trifling; leaving no room for play
|
really intending what is said; being in earnest
|
Adverb
[edit]serious (not comparable)
- (colloquial or dialect) seriously, in a serious manner (most often heard in take or mean serious)
- 1957, Ray Lawler, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Sydney: Fontana Books, published 1974, page 68:
- The only time I walk out on singin' is when there's muckin' about and youse don't take it serious.
Further reading
[edit]- “serious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “serious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
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- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
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- English 4-syllable words
- Rhymes:English/ɪəɹiəs
- Rhymes:English/ɪəɹiəs/3 syllables
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
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- en:Personality